This is a nationalization of PCT/EP02/03551 filed Mar. 28, 2002 and published in German.
1. Field Of The Invention
The invention relates to a method for separating materials in which a mixture of materials is guided through a channel in a direction of flow extending at least approximately parallel to the gravitational field and a wash fluid is conveyed through the channel, which displaces from the mixture of materials and removes from the channel at least one material component of the mixture of materials that is to be separated. The invention further relates to a device for separating materials for carrying out the aforesaid method.
2. Related Art
A method and a device of the aforementioned type are known from DE 100 38 932. In this known method the mixture of materials to be separated is introduced into a vertically arranged channel and flows through this channel whilst being influenced by the gravitational field. In the channel a plurality of guide members is arranged successively, which direct a flow of wash fluid that flows into the channel in the opposite direction to the direction of flow of the mixture of materials. As a result of this a displacement area is formed in the area of each guide member, in which the wash fluid flows through the mass flow of the mixture of materials whilst displacing thereby the material component of the mixture of materials to be separated and removing the latter from the channel at the end of the channel, at which the mixture of materials was introduced into the channel. On account of the multitude of employed guide members which must be precisely aligned to each other and positioned in the channel in order to generate the desired flow effect of the wash fluid in the channel the device used to carry out the method has a correspondingly complicated design.